Trae Young had 29 points and seven assists and De’Andre Hunter added 19 points as the Atlanta Hawks pulled away from the Minnesota Timberwolves, 117-104. “I think it just shows the growth within the young guys in our team,” said Young. “I mean, everybody is buying into what we’ve been doing. Our offense is going to come, like I’ve been saying for a while now. Our defense has been what’s carried us.”Garrison Mathews was 5 for 5 from 3-point range with 15 points in the first half and 7 out of 8 for the game. Also, Jalen Johnson added 17 points and 11 rebounds. His game continues to shine this season not only as a scorer and rebounder, but also communicating on the floor. “It’s something I’m getting better at every day,” said Johnson. “Coming up, that wasn’t my personality, that I was going to talk to everybody. That’s just something I developed, being able to voice my opinion. Just having that dialog is huge, especially in tight games down the stretch. I think we’re open as a team to listen to one another and understand what needs to be done in order to win the game.”Jessie Bates III and Matthew Judon of the Atlanta Falcons watch an NBA game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, December 23, 2024 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)Johnson also discussed having to guard big men like Victor Wembanyama, Zach Edey and tonight Rudy Gobert in successive games.“It’s a little different. I like the lob a lot,” explained Johnson. “So understanding when to use that lob with Clint or whoever it may be. That’s something I’m still working on, still watching film on. So I just have to continue to read defenses, continue to just make the right decision.”AntMan Returns HomeAnthony Edwards signs autographs for his grandfather, Ben Edwards, before an NBA game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, December 23, 2024 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)Anthony Edwards, a graduate of Therrell High School, had 16 points on 7 of 23 shooting from the field. Before Monday’s contest, Edwards was fined $75,000 for criticizing officials. He did not speak to reporters after the game.However, his grandfather, Ben, did speak to reporters. It was the first time Ben saw his grandson play since Anthony was in high school. During an exchange, he asked the Timberwolves sideline reporter, how could she possibly do her job inside the loud State Farm Arena. View this post on Instagram A post shared by LeagueAlerts Inc. (@leaguealerts) With the victory, the Hawks are now .500 on the season and will face the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night at State Farm Arena. The post Trae Young and De’Andre Hunter lead Hawks to victory over Timberwolves, 117-104 appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.